The Return
by Halgerd
Summary: Set in DH. After talking to Harry, Remus returns to Tonks. One shot. Slightly lemony.


Dora was sitting in her kitchen at the table with her hand absent mindedly on her stomach, rubbing in slow motions on her swelling belly. She has begun to show, and despite everything that was going on, everything that happened, she couldn't help but be excited.

Suddenly there was a *****pop* and in her kitchen apparated the absolute last person in the world she wanted to see right now, her husband Remus John Lupin.

"Get out of here," she said without thinking, "I thought our child was an abomination. I thought that 'your kind doesn't breed'. Get _out_."

"Dora," he began, "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I-I didn't know what I was saying, I—"

"You _what?_" she barked at him as the rage flowed through her, "You didn't know what you were _saying_? You said that you didn't want our_ child!_ You said that it was a _mistake_ that we were together. A _mistake _that we were _married!_ You cant take those things _back_ Remus!" she got up from the table and leaned back against the counter.

There was silence for several minutes, both Remus and Nymphadora looking at the floor, risking the odd glance at one another.

"You've gotten big," Remus finally said, "you're belly, I mean."

"Yes well, I haven't seen you in a while, that tends to happen to women who are pregnant. They get bigger." Her words stung him, she could tell.

"Remus," she said a little more gently than her previous outbursts, "why are you here?"

"I---I've come back Dora. To—to stay, if that's alright with you. I—I thought about some things, and…I realized that I was wrong, so very wrong. About everything." His eyes were still downcast, he could not face her beautiful eyes. "I am—"

"Say you're sorry again, and I will hex your balls off." Tonks barked, "What good is 'sorry' going to do us now? Look at the mess we've made. Everything is wrong, everything is so wrong…"

"I love you," he said softly, "very, very much. I didn't realize how much until Harry showed me what I couldn't see, what I didn't see—"

"You prat," she spat back, "how _dare_ you say that to me now?" She turned her back to him, began to walk out of the kitchen. However, after taking about four steps, she stopped. She couldn't walk anymore. It was all just too much: the baby, his leaving, his coming back and saying he loved her. It was too much after all he has said, all those terrible things that were so hurtful.

She began to cry; she clutched onto the counter as she doubled over with pain, with tears.

"Dora," Remus whispered, reaching out a hand to her, "are you alright? It is the baby? Is something wrong Dora?" she could hear the concern in his voice.

"It's not—it's not the baby," she heaved between bouts of tears, "It's—it's everything."

Remus walked towards her, hesitating at first, but then going right up to her and putting his arm around her.

"Remus, I—how could—why—" she began

"Shh. Dora, calm down. It's alright, its alright." He whispered into her ear. They rocked together slowly, crying, until Dora had calmed down and both their tears had stopped.

Dora looked up at her husband, and said simply, "why did you leave Remus?"

"Because—because I was scared Dora. I was scared that—that our child—that it would be ostracized by society, like I am—like you are now that you are with me…"

"I _love_ you Remus. Our baby could be born with 12 toes for all I care, I would still love it the same. We _made_ this baby Remus, how could you say such bad things?" her voice trailed off at the end, she was choked up again and trying not to cry.

"I was being rash Dora, I wasn't thinking. I take back everything, all of it. Every word. Forgive an old man for jumping to the absolute wrong conclusions in a situation he was very surprised by." His words had a very calming effect on his wife, he prayed that she understood his sincerity, his genuine regret for everything he said. "Somehow I feel twelve toes would be easier than having a child with my particular… affliction…" he added with an air of levity.

"Don't do that Remus," she said, "I will love our baby no matter what. Even if it—even if the worst—no matter what."

Remus smiled at her, and kissed her eyelids. "I'm sorry," he stated, "I will never, ever, leave you again."

"If you do, no unforgivable curse will measure up to what is in store for you. Understand?" she said, kissing him back.

"Right, understood. Remus – Dora and baby = unforgivable doom and sadness for all parties involved. Sound accurate?" he asked.

"Very." She kissed him again, looked into his eyes, and said, "I forgive you Remus." That emission let out an audible sense of relief in the room and Remus and Tonks smiled at one another.

"I will never doubt you again." said Tonks.

"There wont ever be a need." Replied Remus.

They sat there in the kitchen, holding one another in the moonlight. After a while Remus pulled back from her a bit and put both his hands on her newly emerging belly.

"We made a baby," he said, childishly, smiling a very large, characteristically Remus grin, "you look beautiful by the way"

"Uh huh, you're just saying that to get in my good graces. I am quite aware of your sneaky ways. You trickster old man you" she beamed up at him as he laughed aloud at her remark

"I'm serious Dora. Pregnancy definitely looks good on you." He replied, noticing that since he apparated into the kitchen her hair had gone from a very pale to a very vibrant pink.

"Well, you've—you've missed all the not so glamorous parts. Like the throwing up and such; and I'm sure by the end of it all I will highly resemble the squid at Hogwarts so I'll take the compliments I can get." She grinned, loving this banter, realizing how much she missed it when he was gone.

"Well, supposedly at the end of it all we get a baby out of this." He said as he held her closer and kissed her neck.

"Oh you don't say? I think I like that idea. A little Remus John Lupin toddling around the flat. I like that idea a lot" she replied and promptly kissed him full on the lips.

"Or how about a little Nymphadora?" he said as they broke their kiss, "An itty bitty Dora who's hair changes color when she is hungry, or happy, or tired? I think I like that idea better."

"I missed you," she said to him, "so much."

"And I you," Remus replied, holding her as close to him as he could, getting his fill of her body, a body he missed very dearly, "so very much."

After what felt like forever Tonks pulled them apart, grabbed Remus's hand and led him to their bedroom. Once Remus became aware of the intent of this little walk they fell onto one another with the passion of lovers who have been separated.

They made short work of one another's clothes, throwing them carelessly in a pile beside the bed: their bed, the bed that they had not shared in weeks. As they touched and caressed one another's bodies, Remus could not help but be enthralled in the changes going on in Tonk's body. He found himself taken aback, overcome by her beauty, by her body that carried _his_ child.

"You ogling me old man?" Tonk's giggled, kissing Remus on his collar bone.

"As I said," he replied, "pregnancy looks _good_ on you Dora." She blushed at that comment, she did not feel so beautiful with her expanding body.

"I'm serious. I like this Dora, I like her a lot." And with that he kissed her passionately, renewing his ministrations on her body with fervor

. Amidst many 'I love you's' and kisses they came together as if they had never been separated. Tonks let out a small gasp when Remus entered her and Remus felt at that moment that everything would be alright. The war, his leaving, all of it, it would all work out if he had Dora. Their love, their baby, it was these things that mattered, these things that made it all worth it.

They moved rhythmically together. Dora dug her fingers into Remus's back, loving how he felt inside her, loving the feeling after having been denied it all these lonely weeks. She felt whole, overwhelmed with feeling, with love for Remus, for their baby, for this goodness amidst so much bad.

He quickened his pace, joining their bodies so that neither knew where one ended and the other began. He kissed her on the lips, and held onto her hands as he spilled into her and collapsed onto her body. Once they had both caught their breath, Remus looked down at Dora and saw that she had tears rolling down her face.

"Dora?" he asked, "are you alright? Did I hurt you?" he separated their bodies and lay down beside her, facing her. He pushed back her hair from her forehead and kissed her.

"You daft bugger," Dora laughed, "these are happy tears. You came back to me, and I love you, and I'm happy and I missed you."

"Okay," Remus said, relieved, "well that is a relief. I—never mind. I love you too. I'll never leave you again."

"You could try," she smiled up at him, "but I'm afraid I'd find you. After all, you are a measly ex-professor, while I am the ministry's finest."

"Measly ex-professor you say?" he reached over and began to tickle her mercilessly. For as tough as she was at the Ministry she was very ticklish and in (if he did say so himself) a very compromising position. Within minutes she was reduced to a fit of hysterical, beautiful, nude giggles. Before long, however, Tonks had Remus pinned to the bed and was arduously kissing his face.

"Told you," she beamed "I guess you will just have to settle for me, pink hair and all."

"Gladly." He said. "You know…I don't have to be anywhere for the Order for at least three days…"

"So you feel, that we should make up for the time we lost?" she asked

"Beauty _and_ brains" he replied, spinning their bodies back around so that he was once again on top of her.

"I love you, Remus John Lupin."

"And I you, Nymphadora Tonks. Until the end of my days."

She responded with a smile, and she knew that all was forgiven. They had put it behind them, and it was all going to be alright.


End file.
